Second Place
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Rebecca tries to enlist the help of a reluctant spirit. It doesn't go so well with what she's really after.


Here he was again. He almost couldn't believe he'd been fooled twice by this tactic. Yuugi just seemed so believable. Maybe infallible. He was beginning to question how truthful they were with each other given that his partner had done this to him a second time. It was almost unbelievable. What was even more startling was the other occupant of this exchange. The first time it had been Anzu. Now it was-

"Hiii!" Rebecca stood on the other end of the busy street, waving her arm frantically to get his attention.

The spirit shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at the puzzle with a slight pout. Yuugi wouldn't answer, of course. He was absent as he had been when he'd left he and Anzu alone. He wasn't sure what to do. Eventually Rebecca made it easier on him by trotting up to him. "…hi." Awkward.

Things hadn't been the same since they'd gotten back to America. The spirit couldn't really gauge her reaction to him anymore. Before he'd easily known that she was ambivalent to him and in love with his partner. During the whole business with Doma he'd lost Yuugi, and she'd called him irresponsible and cried.

He'd agreed with her.

Where did that leave things now? She obviously could tell the difference between them, something not all people could do. So she had to know whose eyes she was staring into with that wide smile of hers. "Is that all you've got?" She challenged, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You're supposed to be refreshed after everything!"

She must have been talking about the gap in time. It had been at least a little while since everything else. Was she really giving him a pass? He continued frowning. "I'm just unsure of what's going on." No use lying and no use stepping around the issue. He had no idea why she was here and why Yuugi had forced him out and left him alone with her.

And it was bothering him.

Rebecca continued grinning at him. "Heh heh heh. Do you doubt me so much? I know you don't think so little of Yuugi-chan!" He'd better not, with what he'd put him through. The dark thought spiraled through her before she whisked it away quickly. That was over and done with now. No need.

That didn't explain what was going on. "Of course not." Whether he was agreeing on the first account or the second was left up for debate. He certainly didn't seem keen on explaining himself.

She grabbed him by the arm. "Come on come on! We can't talk out in the middle of this noisy street."

"So you want to talk?" About what, he wondered. He let himself be led around by the arm, at least a little curious. There was no backing out now, anyway.

"Shh." She chided and continued to be quiet until she pulled him into some small cafe. It was quiet in there, empty, less eyes on them. Yuugi was a celebrity after all. It would be terrible to get caught by the press arm in arm… maybe not so terrible. But this wasn't Yuugi. The press didn't recognize that but she did.

And as she sat down she fixed her gaze on him. This man who shared a body with her sweet love for inexplicable reasons. He seemed so distant. Mysterious. Others were pulled to it but she wasn't much interested. Now that he was sitting right across from her she fidgeted a little. Now came the hard part.

He wasn't paying attention to her. He didn't want to be here. Did they really have time for this? As curious as he was it didn't dampen his more prevalent thoughts of what was to come next. She spoke up and it snapped his gaze to her but he hadn't heard what she'd said. "What?"

Frustrating. Her lips pressed together, a warmth pooling in her cheeks. "I said I need your advice. Pay attention, will you?"

The spirit leaned back in his chair, going for a more relaxed look. He didn't want her catching on to the fact that being around her put him on edge now. "Advice on what?" Dueling? That would make sense. He couldn't think of anything else.

She held her hands underneath the table where he couldn't see them, squeezing tightly. "I, mn…" How to phrase it without seeming pathetic? "I'm looking for a little change of wardrobe." The look he gave her might have revealed that he was coming to the realization that he was out of his depth here. That made things a little harder. "I want to know what Yuugi likes."

Ah. Now it all made sense. His chair scraped against the floor as he pushed from the table. "I don't know what you told him, but we don't have time for this." Yuugi was looking out for everyone's wellbeing all the time but he doubted Rebecca had told him what she was after. They really didn't have time for this nonsense. He had things to do. Crushes could wait.

"W-wait! Please!" Her only opportunity into the world of Yuugi's mind was fleeing. Who better to ask than the man who shared a body with him? Somehow the spirit had to have known. He had to have some better insight than someone like Jonouchi or, god forbid, Anzu did. She needed this. "Please!" Pleading again despite the scrape to her pride. Yuugi was worth it.

The spirit looked at her, stone faced. "Rebecca I really don't have time for this." Childhood crushes were one thing- but he'd never planned on intruding into Yuugi's love life. Or letting anyone else, for that matter, by way of his knowledge. It was wrong. "If you want to know why don't you ask him yourself?" At that moment he wished he could force his partner out like Yuugi had done to him. But he just couldn't.

"That's not how it works! You don't understand!" What kind of dating advice was that? It was completely awful!

He sighed, hand bracing the back of his chair as he stood still. "I probably don't but this doesn't concern me." He was trying not to purposely be cruel despite how angry he was getting. This was all nonsense.

She reached out to take his wrist in her hand. "I just need to know what kinds of-" Oh. Could she really? The other Yuugi seemed like he would leave soon. She had to push through. "What kind of girls does he like?"

"What?" A hiss as he pulled his hand from her. "I don't know." That wasn't true. Yuugi liked Anzu. But how could he even begin to describe her to someone else? Someone else that didn't like her, for that matter.

"You HAVE to!" She was so sure. They must have shared everything! It only made sense.

A sharper look was directed at her and he found some satisfaction as she shrunk back from it. If being stern would make her stop he'd have to continue. "I don't have to, and I don't know. This isn't my business. And the fact that you tricked him into this isn't helping your case." She had to have. Yuugi wouldn't have agreed to this nonsense. The time with Anzu was different.

Her eyes went big. Would he tell on her? Oh no. "Don't- please don't tell him…"

The spirit resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her before stepping passed the table and putting his hands back in his pockets. "I won't." Though it would be difficult to explain to Yuugi. He didn't really like lying to his partner. Even when he pulled stunts like this. Watching her sulk over the table made him feel bad, though. Despite all of it…

"He likes people who are themselves. Don't go looking for advice on how to change yourself. It won't work." It was all he could give her. All he really knew about his partner's preferences for people, not just for women. She looked back at him and he watched her silently for a moment more, maybe waiting to see if the information registered with her. She wasn't smiling but she didn't seem angry.

Once she finally nodded at him he turned completely away and left the cafe. Now what was he going to do? Yuugi wouldn't resurface for a few more hours he was sure. Perhaps a trip to buy some new cards was in order. Yuugi's allowance would do fine enough after pulling this on him twice.


End file.
